Learning to drive is an expensive business. In fact I first started to learn to drive when I was 17 but didn’t pass until I was 29! The driver instructor was going out with my mom’s friend and so I got a discounted rate. Unfortunately he cheated on said friend, and that was the end of that. I have never been a confident person, coupled with the fact that my brother died in a road traffic accident, so nerves always got the better of me in tests. It was only when I was 29 that I finally passed my driving test. I remember the day I passed well, as my theory part of my licence was going to expire in 2 days if I did not pass. You see they only gave you 2 years to pass the practical. When I was 17 the practical was yet to be introduced, but talked about. I was 8 months pregnant and it felt unlikely that I would EVER pass if I didn’t pass that day. Besides it was my 6th driving test. But I did pass – with only 3 minors.
Having just had a baby I didn’t drive that much, and it was not long before I was expecting again. Then with 4 children I needed to drive a people carrier, so I drove even less. I know that I only drove (and still only drive) if I have to. So when our son passed his driving test first time in July I knew that he needed to just get on and drive. Luckily he had University Open Days far away to visit. We put his dad as a second driver on his car insurance so that he could share the driving.
With car insurance I think it is really important to shop around. When my husband passed his test he got cheaper car insurance by putting me as a second driver, even though I just had a provisional licence. This was because the company just asked how long I had my licence for (he checked a provisional was fine) and I am older than him. The fact we were married with children also helped lower his premium.
My husband was quickly really confident in our son’s driving and even had a sleep on the way back from the Open days. Our son now takes his friend to school and back (13 miles away, including motorways/peak time). I have been so impressed how nothing seems to faze him – bad weather/dark nights etc. He even drove through a busy city to collect his brother from school when he had missed his bus. The first few times I was really nervous, but now I worry more about me driving on the roads than my son and I have been driving for 7 years!
